Almost 24,000 living with disabilities in Tipperary

There are 23,593 people living in Tipperary with a disability or chronic illness. This represents 15% of the entire population of the county.

Four out of every five people with disabilities acquired their disability during their working lives. This year alone, over 56,000 people, nationally, will be diagnosed with a disability for the first time.

Census statistics show that of people with a disability, aged 15 years and over in Tipperary, 19% were at work, compared to 51% of the general population of the same age. 26% of adults in Ireland with a disability live in consistent poverty. People in Tipperary, who care about living in a fair society, are gravely concerned.

Every person in Tipperary living with a disability is a family member – a son, daughter, sibling, or parent. The lack of supports and services for people with disabilities encompasses a far larger percentage of Tipperary’s population than assumed.
Locally, access to services, including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, personal assistants and other key supports are totally insufficient. Furthermore, people with disabilities are not entitled to participate in many employment programmes and are further excluded from the labour market.

Tipperary County Council is responsible for services that are of crucial importance to those with disabilities. They include housing, planning, public facilities, education and training. The Disability Federation of Ireland calls on the local community and local authorities to put supports for people with disability at the top of the public agenda.

Ms Toni Gleeson, Disability Federation Ireland Support Officer for Tipperary said:
“People with disabilities are a core element of community life in Tipperary. Their voice must be heard. Providing necessary supports to enable them to live as equal citizens will benefit every one of us.”

“These citizens, their families and supporters are a sizeable electoral demographic and they will remember those candidates who place disability at the centre of their political agenda.”

“Since 2008, there has been a steady erosion of services and supports for people with disabilities. As a result, people with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than others. They are in a far weaker position than before the recession,” Toni said.

The Disability Federation of Ireland is calling on Tipperary’s local election candidates to set out their plans in their election manifestos for improving the lives of the constituents of Tipperary who have disabilities.